Catch Me When I Fall
by Longing for Oblivion
Summary: After two tough days Peyton has to struggle with an old bad habit, putting everything at risk including her life. Rating will go up with later chapters! (First 5 chapters edited & reposted!)
1. Promise me something?

_**Discs.:**__ I don't own "CSI: NY" nor its characters!  
__**Summary:**__ After two tough days Peyton has to struggle with an old bad habit, putting everything at risk including her life.  
__**Pairing:**__ Mac/Peyton, mentions Mac/Claire  
__**Genres:**__ Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Friendship, Crime, Angst  
__**Spoilers:**__ Season three up to "Silent Night"  
__**Warnings:**__ contains violence, later chapters also contain self-harm  
__**A/N:**__ Jeez, back when I first started writing this story I was sure I would be done with it in a week tops - that was now like 3 years ago... -_-' Anyways, this story is part of a series set in an AU in which Peyton and Mac used to be in a relationship before he met Claire and left Peyton because he had fallen head over heels for Claire (my story "You Tear Me Into Pieces" takes place in the same AU, but is entirely unrelated to this series). Oh, one more thing - in case that it isn't entirely clear this story starts right after Mac and Peyton's final scene in "Silent Night"... Either way, I hope you will enjoy reading this story._

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**Catch Me When I Fall**

_1. Promise me something?_

As Mac released Peyton from his embrace he just looked at her for a while before he wanted to know,

"Have you already eaten?"

"Nope. Why?" She smiled softly at him.

"Well, how about having dinner together then? You choose..."

They locked eyes for a while before Peyton replied,

"Sounds quite good to me." She paused for a moment, a thoughtful frown on her face,

"How about ordering some Thai?"

Hearing that Mac chuckled, which caused her to give him a confused glance.

"I guess, you've got me wrong... What I meant was going to a restaurant for dinner."

Peyton just stared at him for a minute or two then she asked quietly,

"You're serious?"

"Yes. So, you still want to eat Thai?" Seeing her nod he went on,

"Good, I happen to know a great Asian restaurant."

"Mac... You don't have to do this if you don't feel comfortable with the possibility that one of our colleagues might see us together..."

"I know, Peyton." He smiled at her, caressing softly her cheek,

"But I want to."

"OK, let me just get my stuff and we can leave."

"Take your time." He watched how she walked the few steps back to her desk, packing up her stuff.

It was obvious that he had caught her by complete surprise with this and he hadn't planned on suggesting to eat at a restaurant - the idea had just come to his mind, but on the other hand Peyton seemed to be happy and that was what mattered most right now. After all, he had hurt her quite badly with what he had said and done...

"You're ready?" He gave her a questioning glance as she turned back toward him.

"Yeah..."

Peyton smiled and stretched out her hand to him, Mac got a hold of it and led her out of the building.

When they had almost reached his car Peyton stopped. Mac turned toward her, a questioning expression on his face.

"We don't have to go to the restaurant, you know? I mean, takeout would do as well..."

Mac stepped closer to her, cupping her face with his right hand and making her look into his eyes.

"Listen Peyton, I meant what I said - I want this with us to work... And I know that you're not happy about keeping our relationship a secret." Mac took a deep breath, not sure if he should really go on, but deciding that she should know,

"I mean, I will not tell our colleagues randomly about our relationship, but I won't lie if someone at the lab asks me either... Okay?" A small smile appeared on Peyton's face and she nodded. He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss then he stated,

"But if _**you**_don't want to eat at a restaurant I won't force ya."

"Of course I want to it's just..." Peyton paused, searching for words, then she took a deep breath and added,

"I just don't want you to do this only because you think that you have to."

At that Mac smiled and stated,

"Okay. Let's go, 'cause to be honest - I'm starving..."

Peyton chuckled for a moment, before admitting,

"Me too."

As they continued walking Mac put his right arm around her while Peyton rested her head on his shoulder.

_Later that night at Mac's apartment:_

He had been lost in his thoughts for quite a while, staring blankly ahead at the wall in front of him.

"Listen Peyton, I want you to know that I'm damn sorry for what I've said and done..."

Mac sighed and turned around to look down at her, he wasn't sure what had hurt Peyton more, that he had pushed her hand away when he noticed Stella coming their way and had pretended that they had only been talking about the autopsy report, or that he had used the name of his dead wife instead of hers when he had tried to talk with her and apologize for what he had done the day before.

Before she was able to say something he went on,

"I don't know what I was thinking - I'm not even sure if I was thinking at all. What I do know is that a simple apology isn't going to erase what I've done to you..."

Peyton sat up as well while he was talking and moved closer to Mac. For a moment she just looked at him, noticing how tired and upset he seemed, she put one of her arms around him, a soft smile on her lips and told him,

"Mac, I know that you're sorry, but you're wrong... If I was still mad or hurt because of what happened I won't have gone to that restaurant with you and I would most definitely not be here right now."

He just looked at her, a doubtful frown on his face. After a moment she lifted her other hand to his face and just caressed his cheek for a while. Meanwhile Mac closed his eyes simply enjoying her soft touch.

As he opened his eyes again he saw that Peyton was lost in thought and he chose not to disturb her in her train of thought, instead he just watched her for a while before pulling her as close as possible, giving her a soft kiss onto her forehead.

"I love you..." He looked into her eyes as he said it and hoped that she was able to see that he was meaning what he said absolutely serious.

Then he kissed her again, this time on her lips. He had never said those three words to her since they were seeing each other again, simply unsure if it was the right thing to do. Peyton herself had told him that she loved him already quite a while ago, but when she had done so his only response had been 'I know'.

"How about getting some sleep now?" He gave her a questioning glance and after a moment Peyton nodded, so he let go of her for a while and lay back.

After turning the light off she snuggled as close to him as possible, resting her head on his chest, while Mac wrapped his right arm around her waist, leaning his head against hers.

For a few minutes they were just lying there like that, though Mac lifted after some time his hand and let his fingers slide through her hair, giving her a kiss onto her forehead every once in a while.

"Mac?" Peyton broke after some time the comfortable silence.

"Yeah?"

Peyton shifted to lie on her back, staring at the ceiling.

"Can you promise me something?"

Mac frowned for a few seconds, trying to lock eyes with her but Peyton refused to look directly at him.

"What is it?" He asked, hoping that it was something he could promise her without having to worry that he might not be able to keep it, knowing that it would hurt her if he outright refused.

Peyton took a deep breath and finally looked at him.

"I need you to promise me that you won't leave me." She paused for a moment,

"Because I can only do this if I know that you want to be with me in the long-run."

Mac couldn't keep a soft sigh from escaping his mouth.

"Listen Peyton, as much as I would like to promise you that - I can't do it..."

She just stared at him for a moment and he could see that she was fighting with tears, then she nodded and said,

"I shouldn't have asked for that in the first place..."

Mac could sense that she was about to get up and leave, and he couldn't let her go like this, so he turned onto his side and made her look up into his face.

"I love you, Peyton - and I don't just want this work, I want it to last. But even though it would be great if our relationship lasts forever the past has taught me that you can never be sure of what will happen... And I just don't want to make a promise that I might not be able to keep." He paused,

"I mean, of course I could simply promise you that we will never break up, but we're just seeing each other for a couple of months and I already hurt you incredibly much and most of all it just won't be fair..."

Before he was able to finish a cell phone started ringing and he went silent as Peyton sat up and grabbed the phone from the nightstand. He watched her while she was checking her messages, waiting for her to finish reading.

"You've gotta go?" He mused, locking eyes with her, and when Peyton nodded he offered,

"How about I make you some coffee while you get dressed?"

Peyton took a quick glance at the alarm-clock before she replied,

"Sounds good."

While she watched Mac getting up she couldn't help but sigh, relieved that even though they spent most nights at her apartment, due to the fact that it was closer to the lab, some of her clothes had by now found their way to Mac's place, which meant that she won't need to get home first before heading to the crime scene. After another moment she got up and headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

As she entered the kitchen Mac looked up, smiling at her and handed her a cup of coffee.

"You're not mad, are you?"

Peyton closed her eyes for a moment before looking at him, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"No, I'm not... After all, you're right - there's no way of telling what will happen and therefore I shouldn't have asked you for something like that. It's just..." She trailed off, biting slightly her lip before taking a few sips of the coffee.

"What is it?" He asked, frowning slightly.

She sighed and looked intently at the ground, avoiding to look at him.

"It's just that when you left me the first time it hurt so horribly much - it was killing me... And I know that this time it would hurt even so much more, after all, we work in the same building - I would see you all the time. And..."

She went silent again, her eyes glistening with tears as she eventually looked up at him and he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I'm not gonna leave you. Believe me. I love you, Peyton." Mac gave her a soft kiss onto her forehead.

"Well, I should better go now..." Payton murmured.

"I'll see you later then." Mac said with a slight nod and let go of her.

Peyton nodded, wiping her tears away, before she leaned in and kissed him, then she smiled softly at him and left.

_Tbc_

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_**A/N:**__ Thanks for reading, hope you liked the first chapter! _


	2. A busy night

_**A/N:**__ Here's the second chapter. Enjoy reading!_

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**Catch Me When I Fall**

_2. A busy night_

Peyton couldn't help but sigh as she walked up to Flack, she was goddamn tired and yearned to get finally more than just a few hours of sleep, but there was nothing she could do about it - after all, she had wanted to return to the ME's office.

"Hey, thanks for coming. The body is right over there." He pointed to an alley a few feet away.

The alley was already lit by several bright floodlights and as they got closer she was able to see Danny and Stella already searching for potential evidence.

When they had reached their destination Peyton gave him a questioning glance.

"You said 'body'... But that's just a head..."

"Well, the rest of her has to be somewhere, right?" Flack replied, with his typical positive demeanor.

"Yeah, but the problem is I can't perform an autopsy if I just have the head of the body..." Peyton trailed off when her cell phone started ringing and she hurried to answer the call,

"What's up?" She listened for a moment then she stated,

"I'll be right there."

"Another crime scene?" Flack mused.

"Yeah. Well, get the head to the morgue, I'll take a closer look at it when I get there. In the mean time I suggest you try to find the rest of the body, so I'll be able to determine the cause and time of death."

"Alright."

Peyton nodded and turned around.

_37 minutes later:_

Entering the victim's apartment Peyton sighed another time before taking a sip of the coffee she had gotten herself on the way over.

"Hey Peyton." Lindsay greeted her.

"Where's the body?" Peyton asked, taking another sip of coffee.

"In the bedroom."

When she walked into the room Mac turned toward her, a questioning expression on his face.

"Sorry, it took me a little longer to get here than I thought."

"Don't worry about it." Mac assured her.

As she started her first examination she heard Mac leaving the room, to talk with Lindsay she assumed.

After she had finished her examination she gave the OK to bring the body to the morgue and went to talk with Mac before leaving.

"You're finished?" Mac asked when she approached him and Lindsay.

"Yeah, for now. He died approximately around 1 AM."

"How about the COD?" He wanted to know.

"Well, it's likely that he died due to exsanguination, however, considering that I know how much you hate it when people jump to conclusions I'll wait with telling you anything certain 'til I'm done with the autopsy." Peyton replied and they shared a smile.

"Call me when you're done."

"Of course." With that Peyton left.

_At autopsy, an hour and a half later:_

"Hey... You said you were finished with the autopsy?"

Peyton turned around, turning off her iPod and smiled at Mac.

"Yes."

"So, what killed Mr Romano?"

"Like I assumed at the crime scene the preliminary cause of death is exsanguination." She replied.

"Preliminary?"

"Yes, if the bloodloss won't have killed him he would have died either due to a heart attack or because of the ruptured aneurysm in his brain." Peyton paused for a moment,

"Furthermore I'm still waiting for the tox results..."

"You think he might have been poisoned?" Mac gave her a questioning glance.

Before she was able to answer his question someone cleared his throat and as they turned around they saw Flack walking up to them, a cheerful smile on his face.

"Hey Peyton, sorry to interrupt, but I got something for ya." His smile widened,

"Bring it in..." He stated and gave one of the MEs a signal and the young man left for a moment.

A few seconds later the man came back rolling a stretcher into the room.

"Well, I know it's still not the entire body, but we're gonna find the rest as well."

Peyton walked up to the stretcher and took a closer look at the body parts, before she glanced up at Flack, a frown on her face.

"As much as I hate to disappoint you, Flack... Those remains don't belong to the head of the Jane Doe from the alley."

Flack's smile faded.

"What?"

She took a deep breath and explained,

"That foot doesn't match the skin tone of the head, the right hand is the hand of a white male and the other hand belongs to an older woman."

Flack couldn't help but sigh.

"So, we're probably dealing with a serial killer?" He wanted to know after a moment of silence.

"Not necessarily... There are also two other possibilities..." Peyton trailed off, unsure whether she should continue or not.

"Like what?"

"First of all, there's of course the possibility that it's nothing but a coincidence, but to be honest I don't believe in coincidences..."

"What's the other possibility?" Mac, who had by now also taken a look at the remains, asked and gave her a curious glance.

She sighed, looking first at both men, before focusing her attention back on the body parts on the stretcher.

A worried expression crossed Mac's face, noticing that Peyton was stalling, which was not like her at all.

"Peyton?" He asked after a while, when she had still not continued.

Another sigh escaped her mouth, before she took a deep breath and stated,

"It's quite likely that these remains were supposed to be incinerated and the owner of the crematorium wanted to save money with chopping up the bodies and disposing them instead of using his incinerator."

"You're serious?" Flack asked with a frown.

"Unfortunately yes, I didn't have time for a closer examination of the head yet, but I'm quite sure that the woman has died already several weeks ago - and probably she died a natural death..."

"So, we will probably find more human remains around the city?"

"Yes, I would think so." Peyton agreed, causing Flack to let out a sigh.

"Alright. I'll tell my colleagues to keep their eyes open." A moment later he left.

Peyton took a last glance at the stretcher before turning around to get back to filling Mac in on the autopsy results of Mr Romano.

"Where did I stop?"

"I had asked you if you think that he was poisoned." Mac replied.

"Right... Well, first of all he had cancer, he was terminally ill." Peyton paused as she noticed Mac's questioning facial expression.

"Did the cancer kill him?"

"No, but I know that you prefer to get complete results. And furthermore, if he has been poisoned it might help you finding out how and with what."

"So, what makes you think that he was poisoned?" Mac inquired.

Peyton took a deep breath and explained,

"As you can see he has several gunshot wounds and was stabbed multiple times. Yet he didn't try to fight against his attacker - which leads me to the conclusion that he was probably unconscious when he was attacked, or maybe he was sleeping. Either way the tox results will shed some light on that."

"Okay. Anything else?"

She remained silent for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Not right now."

"Let me know if you find anything else." Mac stated and turned to leave.

"Mac?"

He stopped and looked at her.

"Yeah?"

"I suggest that you search his apartment once more for his meds."

"Okay."

After he had left Peyton turned around and started examining the body parts Flack had brought her and the head of the Jane Doe.

_40 minutes later:_

As Peyton pulled off her gloves couldn't suppress a low sigh that ended up turning into a slight yawn. She took a short glance at her watch and came to the conclusion that she should get herself some more coffee if she didn't want to fall asleep.

After getting herself a mug of freshly brewed coffee she took a seat at the table in the center of the break-room and got almost immediately lost in her thoughts.

"Peyton?" Someone interrupted her thoughts after some time.

When she looked reluctantly up she was surprised to see both, Stella and Mac, standing right in front of her. They both seemed concerned, but didn't say anything, so Peyton sighed and asked,

"What's up?"

"Well, Flack found more human remains - as well as an entire body, though it's already in a late state of decomposition." Stella started.

"I'll take a look at them as soon as I finished my coffee." Peyton said, then paused and took a sip of her coffee, making a face as she realized that it had turned cold by now, before adding,

"What about you, Mac?" Peyton looked at him, an expectant look on her face.

"You were right. Someone mixed Romano's meds with Rhohypnol."

Peyton only nodded, before focusing her attention back on Stella.

"While examining the body parts I found traces that confirm my suspicion that the body parts Flack brought me earlier were supposed to be incinerated. I'm quite sure that the other remains that were found will support my theory even further." She got up and went to refill her cup,

"Anything else?" Seeing them both shake their heads no, Peyton added,

"Oh Mac, do you mind if I ask Sheldon to help me with the body parts?"

"Not at all." He assured.

"Thanks." With that she turned around and left.

After she was gone Stella turned toward Mac and asked,

"Does she seem okay to you?"

Mac frowned and took a deep breath.

"Well, I guess she's simply tired." He only hoped he was right.

_Meanwhile:_

When Peyton returned to autopsy she saw right away that the new human remains had already arrived, so she put down her mug and got a pair of gloves, before starting to examine them.

A few minutes after she had started with her examination she heard someone approaching and looked up.

"Hey Sheldon." She greeted.

"How can I help ya?" Hawkes asked as he stopped next to her.

"Well, I could need help with determining how many bodies we got here. And with putting them back together."

"Alright." He took a closer look at the remains,

"Where do we start?"

"Feet." Came the short response.

Hawkes only nodded and they started to work in perfect silence.

Almost an hour later they were finished with putting the different body parts in order. So far they had nine incomplete bodies.

"How's it going?" Stella asked, walking up to them.

"As you can see we were able to get some order into this mess." Peyton pointed at the nine stretchers, which were neatly lined up in front of her,

"I got DNA samples of all ten found victims, maybe that will help identify them. Furthermore I sent samples to Tox."

"You already started with the autopsy of the tenth body?"

"Not yet."

Stella nodded in understanding then she wanted to know,

"What can you tell me about these nine victims?"

"Jane Doe number one, the one whose head was found in the alley, is still missing her right arm, left hand, right thigh, both calves and her left foot. She died approximately 5 to 7 weeks ago - it seems like she died due to an overdose of Ecstasy."

"The second Jane Doe, is almost complete - beside the missing head and right leg, as you can see she was already quite old, so I I think it's a save assumption that she died a natural death. She's been dead for two to three months." Peyton paused, then she pointed at the third and fourth stretcher,

"These two bodies are the ones we know the least about. Both are male and died probably four months ago, maybe a few weeks more or less. I can't determine the COD until the rest of their bodies show up."

"Anyways, the third John Doe, is an Afro-American, I'd say mid 30s to late 40s." She looked at Hawkes, who nodded in agreement and added,

"Considering how well preserved he is, he can't have passed away more than a half month ago. COD was a blunt head trauma. Then we have two Hispanics, Jane Doe number three and the fourth John Doe. They both died about 6 weeks ago, both from injuries most likely suffered in a car accident. It's very likely that they were somehow related." Peyton gave Hawkes a signal to continue.

He held up two X-rays and explained,

"You see the dark spot on the sternum?" Seeing Stella nod he went on,

"Well, at first we thought they might've been shot, but neither of them had a gunshot wound and furthermore it's extremely unlikely that they would have been hit in the exact same spot. After a little research we figured out that the hole in their sternum is the result of a hereditary defect." He paused for a moment before adding,

"They were probably siblings."

"How about the other two?"

"Well, the fourth Jane Doe was Asian, mid-twenties, she was beaten to death about two months ago. And last but not least, John Doe number five, early 80s, died due to a heart attack approximately a bit more than a month ago."

"Okay, give me a call when you're done with the autopsy of victim number 10."

"Sure."

After Stella had left Peyton looked at Hawkes suggesting,

"We should get started with the autopsy."

Hawkes nodded and they turned to get the body.

A few minutes later Peyton stated,

"Judging by the state of decomposition he probably died at least a half year ago. There are signs that someone tried to set the body on fire." She trailed off and looked at Hawkes, who just nodded.

"Is that a gunshot wound?" He asked after a moment of silence, pointing at an injury in the man's chest.

"Probably. Maybe we're lucky and the bullet is still somewhere in the body." Peyton replied, a hopeful expression on her face.

They decided to get a X-ray of the body and after determining where the bullet was lodged Peyton removed it.

"I'll get that to Ballistics." Hawkes smiled at Peyton and turned to leave.

"Well, I'm going to come with you."

"OK."

As they left the morgue Peyton asked,

"Do you actually miss the ME's office sometimes?"

Hawkes shrugged and after a moment of silence he replied,

"Yeah, from time to time."

_Almost twenty minutes later:_

Re-entering the morgue with another mug of coffee Peyton felt slightly better, at least some of her weariness had faded.

Just a moment later she stopped, and frowned, feeling suddenly on edge. She couldn't put a finger on what exactly it was that bothered her, but something wasn't right.

She took a careful look around and saw someone lying on the ground. As she walked further into the room she realized that it was Sid. Scanning her surroundings once more Peyton noticed three men who leaned over the still unidentified bodies.

_'What the hell...'_ Before she was able to finish her train of thought one of the men turned around and, seeing her, nodded slightly.

For a split second Peyton was confused, but when she turned around she understood as she saw a fourth man, who had apparently stood right next to the door, stepping closer to her.

More out of surprise than anything else she let her cup drop, but in the current situation she couldn't care any less about her coffee. Peyton made several steps back, forcing herself not to panic, while her mind was working in overdrive.

The entire situation seemed so goddamn surreal to her that for a brief moment she thought that she had probably fallen asleep in the break-room.

After only a short moment she bumped in an unoccupied stretcher. Realizing that she won't be able to get around it before the man in front of her would reach her she let her hands wander over the stretcher, hoping to find something she could use as weapon - like a scalpel, but no such luck.

Just as she came to the conclusion that all she could do was trying to get out of the man's reach as fast as possible the guy closed the remaining space between them and grabbed her arms.

Turning her around the man gave the other ones a questioning glance and received another nod as answer.

Only a moment later he pushed her forward, hitting her head against the top of one of the metal stretchers, before letting go of her.

Peyton winced in pain, sinking down to the ground next to the stretcher. She heard the men move around, after some more noise they started rolling one of the stretchers to the doors that led to the parking-lot.

Not even a minute later they stopped as someone appeared in the doorway in front of them. One of the man pulled something out from beneath his jacket and a second later shots started ringing through the air.

_Tbc_

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_**A/N:**__ Thanks for reading, hope you liked this chapter!_


	3. Shocking news

_**A/N:**__ Here's the next chapter, enjoy reading!_

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**Catch me when I fall**

_3. Shocking news_

While driving to the lab Flack got lost in thought once more. It was simply damn disturbing how many parts of human remains they had already found. After a moment he sighed, he should really focus on the traffic instead of trying to figure out what sick individual was responsible for all of this.

They had found even more remains in the past hour and now these body parts were on their way to the morgue, just like him. Maybe Peyton could tell him how many chopped up bodies were still somewhere around the city.

The moment he reached the alley where the vans of the ME's office were parked Flack frowned as he saw a couple of men coming out of the building, two of them were lifting a body into their van, a third man was holding a machine-gun while another man seemed to give them instructions.

Pulling out his cell phone Flack tried to determine whether he should follow the van or leave that to the police patrols around the city and head inside to find out what was going on. Settling for the first option he dialed the number of the security guards of the lab and told them to check the morgue while driving behind the van.

After finishing the call he pulled out his radio and informed dispatch.

He filled the operator quickly in on the situation and gave her a description of the van as well as the license number.

**_oOo_**

"You said you found something interesting?" Mac asked walking up to Stella and Hawkes.

"Yeah." Hawkes replied,

"I think your cases are related."

"Really?" Stella asked.

He nodded and explained,

"The bullets from Mr Romano's body and apartment match the bullet Peyton was able to remove from the unidentified body the PD found earlier. Romano owned a crematory until he became sick - now his nephew took over the family business." He paused for a moment,

"Furthermore there were signs that someone tried to set the body on fire and there were traces of ashes from an incinerator on the John Doe's..." He trailed off as Mac's cell phone started ringing.

Mac answered the call in the matter of seconds and listened for a moment before stating,

"I'll be right there." He hung up and rushed out of the room.

"Mac?" Stella called after him, but he seemed not to hear her.

After he was gone Stella and Hawkes exchanged a surprised look.

Meanwhile Mac was basically running down the hall to the morgue, blind to his surroundings he pushed people out of his way not giving a damn about the questioning glances he received, his mind racing due to what he had been told on the phone just a minute ago...

**_oOo_**

Peyton couldn't help but stare into the direction where the four men had disappeared. Her entire body was shaking, her head was hurting and she could tell by the warm feeling on her forehead that she was bleeding.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she heard the heavy footfall of someone. Out of a reflex she crouched down focusing entirely on the sounds. It seemed to be at least two men that had entered the room, though she wasn't sure who it was.

After a moment she heard someone say,

"What the hell..."

"Don't touch anything, got that?" Another man stated, his voice filled with an underlying tone of authority.

"Yeah." The first one said, sounding annoyed.

She couldn't see what they were doing, but she didn't really care. However, after a moment she could see one of the man walk up to Sid and crouch down, checking his pulse.

A moment later he pulled out his cell phone and asked the other one, while waiting for his call to be answered,

"Is he alive?"

"Nope. He was hit by at least ten bullets." The guy replied, and Peyton assumed he was referring to the young ME who had entered just as the four men had been about to leave.

Hearing that the man next to Sid let out a sigh, then he spoke to the person he had called, asking for an ambulance and straightened up while pocketing his cell.

After a moment she saw the man walk up to her, yet she didn't make a single move. When he had reached her she let out a sigh as he asked,

"You're okay?"

God, what sort of question was that, of course she was okay! After all, she was alive, she was conscious, the pain in her head was slowly starting to subside - though really just very slowly. Peyton sighed once more before lifting quietly her head, looking up into the face of the security guard.

"Yeah."

He frowned slightly at that as he studied her face, his eyes briefly stopping on the bleeding cut on her forehead, then he stretched wordlessly his hand out to help her up and led her to a chair. A moment later the other guard walked up to them, a frown on his face.

**_oOo_**

As Mac entered the morgue he took a deep breath. He tried to calm himself a little down, but it was simply impossible. Scanning quickly his surroundings he felt relieved for a moment as he saw Peyton sitting on a chair at the other end of the room. But when the two security guards stepped aside as they heard him approaching his worry returned with all its force, noticing the laceration on Peyton's forehead.

Hearing the blaring of a siren getting closer the guards turned and headed for the door leading to the parking-lot while Mac crouched down next to Peyton.

"God, Peyton..." He mumbled as he took a closer look at the wound on her forehead, then he lifted one of his hands to her face, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I'm okay, Mac."

"No, you're not." Mac replied.

Peyton just sighed.

After a moment he straightened up and turned around, signalling one of the paramedics to come to them.

"Mac, I'm fine! I don't need a doctor." Peyton protested as the man leaned down to take a closer look at her head, not caring the least that it was just a paramedic and not a doctor.

"Your head is bleeding - and either you let him take a look at the wound right here and now, or you're gonna be brought to the hospital to do that." Came Mac's firm response, the tone of his voice and his eyes leaving no doubt that he was serious about that.

**_oOo_**

Flack cursed inaudibly as he turned off the engine of his car and got out. He looked for a moment at the ambulance that was just stopping a few feet away from him, and noticing the van of the ME's office standing basically right next to it he walked toward the two MEs.

"You two wait out here."

"What about the remains?" One of them asked.

"They stay in the van for the time being." With that Flack turned around and headed for the entrance.

When he had reached the security guards he stopped for a moment and stated,

"Please keep an eye on that van until one of the CSIs tells you that they are finished searching for evidence in there."

Seeing them nod he went inside.

Taking a quick glance around Flack sighed and walked further into the room. After a few seconds Mac noticed him and walked up to him.

"Is she okay?" He asked, looking in Peyton's direction.

Mac sighed and replied,

"Well, of course she's saying that she is, but..."

"You're not convinced?"

"Exactly. However, it could be worse after all. How about the guys who did this? I heard you saw them leaving."

Flack nodded slightly, remaining silent for a short moment.

"Yeah. Unfortunately I lost them a few blocks away, but every patrol in the city has a description of the van, so it shouldn't take too long 'til we find them." He paused, watching the paramedic return to Sid and help his colleague to lift him onto a stretcher and bring him outside to get him to the hospital,

"Is he going to be okay?"

Mac sighed.

"I dunno..." After a moment of silence he stated while they were heading over to Peyton,

"Well, I think we should get started with searching for evidence considering that as long as we're not done with it there can't be any autopsies performed."

Flack only nodded. When they reached Peyton she looked at them, she smiled but nonetheless he noticed the exhaustion in her eyes.

"I assume you want to ask me some questions."

He smiled at her and replied,

"Yeah. How about we head upstairs, get some coffee and you tell me what happened?"

Instead of replying Peyton simply got up from the chair she was sitting on. As they turned to leave Mac stated,

"Tell Stella and the rest of the team to get down here."

"Will do." Flack said and they left.

**_oOo_**

Stella had just entered the break-room together with Hawkes when they heard the sound of a siren getting closer.

"Does one of you know what's going on?" Lindsay asked looking up from the magazine she had been reading.

"Nope. But I'm pretty sure we'll find out eventually." Stella stated getting two cups out of a cabinet and took the coffee-pot, before sitting down at the table.

"Do you know where Mac has gone? He doesn't answer his phone..." Danny spoke up.

"Eh, no. He got a call and left in quite a hurry." Stella replied, a small frown on her face.

"Anyways, it seems like our cases are related." Hawkes said after a moment of silence.

A few minutes later their conversation about their two cases was interrupted by the blaring of a siren again. This time, however, the sound got slowly quieter.

Getting up Lindsay stated,

"So, apparently whoever killed Mr Romano has also killed that John Doe?"

"Yeah, at least it's quite likely." Stella replied.

After getting the coffee-maker ready Lindsay turned back around and gasped.

"My God, what happened?"

Hearing that Stella, Hawkes and Danny turned toward the door, looking at Flack and Peyton.

"Long story." Flack replied.

"I'll be right back." Peyton mumbled and left.

When she was gone Stella gave Flack a questioning look and inquired,

"So, what happened?"

Flack sighed.

"Well, four men stole the decomposing John Doe from the morgue. Mac wants all of you to get down there asap."

**_oOo_**

While waiting for his colleagues Mac wondered once again what reason someone could have to steal a body from the morgue, injuring two people and killing another person in the process.

An angry expression crossed his face as his mind drifted off to Peyton. It made him goddamn furious that someone had hurt her.

Mac sighed and took a deep, steadying breath, trying to calm himself down a bit. He should focus on the current situation, he knew that he shouldn't continue working on this case, it had simply become too personal, but he didn't really care - he wanted to catch these guys himself.

When he heard his colleagues approaching he took another deep breath and turned toward them. As they stopped in front of him Stella asked,

"What exactly happened here?"

"Flack didn't tell you?"

They shook simultaneously their heads and Stella replied,

"He only said that the body of the John Doe was stolen and that you want us to come down here."

Mac nodded absentmindedly and explained,

"Well, four men intruded the building, hit Sid on the head quite badly so he won't call security. When Peyton returned three of them were busy looking at the human remains over there, the fourth man attacked Peyton. A few minutes later they got the decomposing body and went to leave, on their way out they killed a young ME who had just returned from a crime scene." He paused for a moment then he instructed,

"I need you to collect all evidence you can find around here as fast as possible, considering that we can't keep the ME's Office closed all day, because the morgue has become a crime scene. Any questions?" Seeing them all shake their heads no he added,

"Good, I'm in my office. Let me know when you're done. And there are two MEs waiting outside with even more human remains the PD has found, tell them when you're finished so they can get them in here." With that he headed for the doors.

**_oOo_**

Peyton sighed as she grabbed her sketch-book from Mac's desk and headed back to the break-room. It was annoying her so goddamn much that basically everyone she walked past on her way was giving her concerned looks.

As she entered the break-room Flack looked up, a small smile on his lips. He indicated the chair opposite him, after she had taken a seat he stated,

"Perfect timing." He filled a cup with coffee and put it down in front of her,

"So, what happened down there?"

Peyton smiled weakly and took a sip of coffee before she started,

"Well, during the autopsy of the complete body Hawkes and I found a gunshot-wound and I removed the bullet. When Hawkes went to get it to ballistics I decided to tag along because I wanted to get some coffee." She paused for a few seconds,

"As I returned to the morgue I saw Sid lying on the ground and a moment later I saw three men standing by the human remains which had been brought here earlier. I walked further into the room and one of the men turned around. Noticing me he gave the fourth man, who had been standing next to the door, a sign." Peyton took another sip of coffee and looked down onto the table, after a moment she looked back into Flack's face and continued,

"I turned around and as the man came closer I walked backwards further into the room. After a short time I bumped into a stretcher. Before I had time to get around it the man had reached me and grabbed my arms. He walked closer to the other men and pushed me down against one of the empty stretchers, hitting my head against the metal. I sank to the ground and he went to the others." She went silent once more, watching how Flack took notes,

"I'm not sure what exactly they did then but after a short while they got the body and headed into the direction of the parking-lot. A moment later a young ME entered, I guess he had just returned from a scene... The man that attacked me pulled out a gun and started shooting." Peyton trailed off and sighed.

"Were you able to see their faces?" Flack asked after a moment of silence.

Peyton nodded slowly.

"But only of two of them."

**_oOo_**

As Mac reached the break-room he watched silently how Flack questioned Peyton. He decided to wait outside the room for Flack, knowing that if he walked in his worry and anger would return and then he won't be able to focus on work anymore.

He sighed and wondered how long it would take to find these guys.

A moment later Flack noticed him and got up from the table. On his way out he said something to Peyton and smiled when she nodded.

When Flack had reached him Mac gave him only a questioning glance instead of saying anything.

"Well, Peyton says that these guys were looking at the incomplete bodies that were found so far. Anyways, she saw the faces of two of them so I'll get someone here to get sketches of the two men."

"I don't think that will be necessary..." Mac stated, a trace of a smile on his face, and pointed at Peyton, who just got up from her chair and walked toward them.

Before Flack had the chance to ask what he meant Peyton stopped next to them and lifted the item she was holding in her hands.

"That's how the man who attacked me looked like." She waited patiently as both men took a closer look at the sketch she had made, then she tore the sheet of paper carefully out of the sketch-book, revealing another drawing and added,

"And that's the guy who seemed to give the others orders." She removed the second sheet as well and handed them both to Flack.

"Thanks." He said as he took the sketches, giving her an impressed smile,

"Well, I'm gonna head back to the precinct and make sure that every police patrol has a copy of these. Call in case you find any trace that could lead to a suspect."

Mac nodded and Flack left. After a moment of silence he gave Peyton a concerned look and wanted to know,

"How's you're head?"

Peyton smiled and replied,

"I'm okay, it doesn't hurt anymore, alright? So, how long do you think they will need at the morgue? I wanna get back to work as soon as possible."

Mac sighed and shrugged.

"I dunno. It will take as long as it takes."

"What's that - Zen?" Peyton chuckled and gave him an amused look.

He only shrugged once more and smiled at her.

**_oOo_**

Stella sighed relieved as she walked up to the two MEs, who were still waiting outside.

"We're done..."

"Thank God for that." One of them mumbled and smiled.

After a few seconds Stella went back inside and headed up to the lab to talk with Mac.

As she entered the break-room Peyton looked up from her sketch-book and gave her a look.

"You're finally done?"

"Yeah. Where's Mac?"

"I assume he went to his office." Peyton shrugged, getting up she grabbed her sketch-book and cup of coffee,

"See you later." With that she left and Stella decided to continue her search for Mac.

_Tbc_

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Thanks for reading, hope you liked the chapter! Feedback would be very appreciated. :)_


	4. A new case

**Catch Me When I Fall**

_4. A new case_

"So there's definitely a connection between both cases?" Mac asked, entering the conference-room.

"Yeah, and it's pretty likely that they stole the decomposing body because it could lead us to the killer of Mr Romano and the John Doe they have taken, as well as to whoever dumped all those chopped up bodies all over the city." Stella stated.

"Sounds plausible." Danny agreed.

Mac frowned for a moment then he inquired, looking at Hawkes,

"You said Mr Romano owned a crematory before he got sick, and that his nephew took over for him, right?"

"Yeah. What are you thinking?" Hawkes gave him a curious glance.

"I'm thinking that we should take a closer look at that crematory..." Mac trailed off as his cell phone started ringing, he hurried to answer the call and after hanging up he told them,

"That was the hospital. The doctor said that the blow to the head had caused a subdural hematoma, however, they're quite certain that Sid will be okay."

"That's great." Stella stated with a relieved smile on her face, causing Mac to nod slightly.

_Meanwhile at autopsy:_

Putting on a pair of gloves Peyton let out a soft sigh. She was glad that she could finally get back to work, after all, being busy with work was making it easier to stop thinking about what had happened earlier.

Grabbing the clip-board with the info about the girl she was about to examine a sad expression crossed her face as she skimmed through the pages.

Glancing for a short moment at the girl Peyton closed her eyes for a few seconds. Taking a deep breath she opened her eyes again.

At first glance it looked pretty much like a routine autopsy. Nancy Andrews, who had just turned sixteen a month earlier, had committed suicide by cutting her left wrist - causing her to bleed to death.

Lifting Nancy's left arm to take a closer look at the cut a frown appeared on Peyton's face and she hurried to take another look at the notes of the ME who had picked up the body.

Re-reading the part that had caught her attention and checking once more the girl's wrist the frown on Peyton's face grew and her head shot up. Scanning quickly her surroundings she soon caught sight of the ME, who had brought the body to the morgue and demanded,

"Peters, get over here - now!"

The man, along with their colleagues turned to look at her, however, when he didn't make a move she stated sharply,

"I said _**now**_!"

Peters frowned and came over to her.

"Is there a problem?" He asked, still frowning.

"Yeah, there is indeed a problem." She paused, then she inquired, trying to keep herself from yelling,

"You were the one who picked up this body - and declared that it was suicide?"

"Yes, do-"

"And on what did you base that assumption?!" Peyton interrupted harshly.

"Well, the parents mentioned that she had attempted suicide before and that along with the directionality of the wound suggested that-" At that point she cut him off again.

"Was this your first day in the field?"

"No, I'm already working here for three and a half years." Peters replied, seeming a little startled by Peyton's questions.

"Then how is it possible that you mistake a murder for a suicide?!" Peyton demanded to know.

"I-" Peters started.

"I wasn't finished!" Peyton interrupted, her face reddening due to her anger,

"In your notes concerning your first examination it says that she was _**left-handed **_- I mean, you _**did **_write this, right?" She indicated the clip-board, causing Peters to nod,

"I assume her parents told you that she was left-handed right away - before you started examining the body?" Another nod,

"Then how is it possible that you came to the conclusion that this was suicide?! After all, you _**do**_ realize that this is her _**left **_wrist - I mean, you _**do **_know which side is left and which one is right, now don't you?!" Peyton lifted the girl's left arm and showed the wound to Peters,

"If she had killed herself she would have cut her _**right **_wrist because it would have been easier for her to make an accurate, deep cut with the left hand!"

"Well, committing suicide is totally irrational - you can't expect the actions of someone who takes their own life to make sense to..."

"Don't you dare blaming a dead sixteen-year-old girl for _**your **_mistake!" Peyton yelled furiously,

"I suggest you go back to university and repeat simply everything - or think about finding yourself a different line of work! Now get the hell out of here - I don't want to see you here again until you know what you're actually doing!" She glared at Peters, who just stared at her, when he didn't make a move to leave she added,

"I mean it - either you leave on your own or I will tell security to escort you out of the building." With that Peyton already pulled out her cell phone.

However, when Peters let his shoulders hang and left Peyton dialed Flack's number instead of calling security.

_"Flack." _The young detective answered the call almost immediately.

"Hey, it's Peyton. I was wondering what you can tell me about Nancy Andrews." Peyton stated.

_"You're assigned to do the autopsy?"_ Flack wanted to know.

"Yeah."

She heard Flack sigh then he told her,

_"Well, it's a real tragedy. According to the parents Nancy had been in quite some trouble throughout the past two years and suffered from severe depression after her best friend died in a car accident about thirteen months ago. A half year ago she attempted to kill herself, the parents found her in time, brought her to the hospital." _Flack paused for a moment,

_"The first two weeks after her attempted suicide she wasn't allowed to get any visits, after that her parents visited her almost every day - they spoke on the phone every evening. After the first month Nancy was allowed to spend the weekends at home."_

"When did she return home?"

_"About two months ago. She had to see her therapist three times a week - one of the sessions was with both her parents. Last week was Nancy's final evaluation. Her therapist told her and her parents that she was making great progress and that from now on it would be enough if Nancy came once a week and once in a month her parents should accompany her."_

"So, there was no indication that Nancy was in trouble again?"

_"No, absolutely nothing would have suggested that something was bothering her. She had started to go to a new school - which she had chosen together with her parents, she wasn't seeing anyone from her past anymore... And her parents said that Nancy seemed happy before they left yesterday."_

"Where had they gone?"

_"The brother of her dad was getting married - it got late, though Nancy knew that it was likely that they would stay there they called around eleven to check on her. The mother, who spoke with Nancy, said that she had seemed happy. She had been watching some of her favorite movies, had ordered her favorite food... Nancy told her that their neighbor Mrs Stewart had come by to bring her a few slices of a cake she had baked."_

"Did they find a letter or anything?"

_"Nope. Why are you asking? Do you think it might have been murder?"_

"Exactly. The wound on her wrist suggests that someone else made the cut. Did you already release the scene?" Peyton asked.

_"Well, not exactly. Considering that the parents were quite skeptical concerning the theory that Nancy committed suicide and didn't want to go back inside the house again after they had found Nancy's body I figured there was no point in rushing." _Flack paused,

_"I'll call Mac and ask him to send someone to the house to see if they can find something, and I'll try to find out if one of the neighbors saw something unusual."_

"Good."

A moment later Peyton took some deep, calming breaths, before turning to leave for the break-room to get some coffee. Being slightly lost in thought she almost bumped into Stella.

"Hey, you're okay, Peyton?"

"Eh, yeah. Why are you asking?"

The CSI gave her a concerned glance and replied,

"Well, I heard you yelling at that ME on my way here, and besides you look kinda pale."

"It's just the girl I'm supposed to examine. That stupid, brainless idiot I yelled at declared it a suicide - even though it's by far more likely that she was murdered. It already makes me goddamn furious that somebody killed this girl and tried to conceal his crime with making it look like a suicide, however, what makes me even much more angry is that he had been damn close to actually succeed with his little scheme."

"Don't get me wrong, but what makes you this sure of the theory that she was murdered?" Stella wanted to know.

Peyton sighed and explained,

"As you can see the cut is on her left wrist, however, her parents told doctor Peters that she was left-handed, therefore the cut should be on her right wrist."

"Maybe she couldn't use her left hand to make the cut?" Stella mused.

"I considered that as well, but take a look at the wound..." When Stella did as she had been told Peyton added,

"You see how accurate this cut is?"

"Yes."

"It's by far too accurate as that this wound could be self-inflicted. And furthermore I just got off the phone with Flack, he told me that even though Nancy had tried to kill herself about a half year ago her parents as well as her therapist were absolutely certain that she was doing much better." Peyton paused,

"She also didn't leave a message. Another thing is that when she attempted suicide a half year ago she made the cut on her right wrist, and there are no scars on her left arm at all - so why would she suddenly start cutting her left arm?"

"Good question..." Stella mumbled, then she mused,

"Her killer might not have known that she was left-handed - or maybe he panicked for some reason and didn't think of it."

"That's exactly what I've been thinking..." Peyton trailed off when Stella's cell phone started ringing.

The CSI hurried to answer the call and listened for a while then she stated,

"I'm on my way." With that she hung up and told Peyton,

"That was Mac, he wants me and Hawkes to take a look at the house of Nancy's family."

Hearing that Peyton only nodded, however, just as Stella turned to leave she wanted to know,

"Was there any particular reason why you came down here?"

Stella looked back at Peyton and smiled.

"Well, Mac told me to ask you if you or someone else already took a look at the human remains that had been brought here short after these guys stole the body of that John Doe."

"Yes, doctor Matthews and doctor Richardson are examining them and doctor Kent is performing the autopsy of the ME that got killed... They're gonna pass their results on to Mac." Peyton said.

"Okay."

After Stella had gone Peyton chose to head upstairs and get herself finally some more coffee before starting with the autopsy of Nancy.

_Tbc_


	5. First leads

_**A/N:**__ Here's the last of the rewritten chapters, enjoy reading!_

* * *

**Catch Me When I Fall**

_5. First leads_

Scanning thoroughly his surroundings as he and Stella entered the bathroom where Nancy Andrews had been found by her parents Hawkes got momentarily lost in his thoughts.

"Hey, you're okay?" Stella's voice interrupted his thoughts after a while and he nodded slightly, forcing himself to focus back on the task at hand.

Taking another look around and seeing the huge amount of blood on the floor, Hawkes pointed out,

"You certainly can't blame the parents for not wanting to return to this house anytime soon."

Stella only nodded in agreement before telling him,

"Well, Flack and Angell are already talking with the neighbors as far as I understood Mac." She paused for a moment then she added,

"We should probably get started with searching for evidence that can support Peyton's suspicion - or proves that Nancy really committed suicide."

"Sounds like a plan." Hawkes agreed and a moment later they started with processing the bathroom.

_Meanwhile:_

Knocking against the door in front of her Angell let out a soft sigh. Damnit, she _**hated **_cases like this. As the door opened she quickly pushed her thoughts away, telling herself to focus on her job.

"Yes?" The woman said questioning. Angell guessed she was in her late thirties, maybe early forties.

"Mrs Stewart?" Angell asked, seeing the woman nod slightly, she showed her badge and stated,

"I'm Detective Angell. Could I ask you a few questions about Nancy Andrews?"

"Eh, sure. Come in." Mrs Stewart replied, a trace of a smile on her face. Closing the door after Angell had entered the small house she led her to the living-room.

"Have a seat." She suggested, still smiling warmly. As Angell had sat down on the couch Mrs Stewart offered,

"Would you like a cup of tea, I was just about to make some..."

"That would be nice." Angell said and smiled.

"I'll be right back."

Angell only nodded and watched her leave for the kitchen, before taking a closer look around. Opposite the cream-colored couch she was sitting on stood two comfortable armchairs, separated from the couch by a glass coffee-table. To her right and behind her there were several big windows, framed by pale yellow curtains, causing the room to be flooded by the light of the winter sun.

There were two doors, one to her left which led to the small hallway and one in front of her, which led probably to a study or such. She also noticed several book-shelves which were filled with the obligatory books along with numerous framed pictures. Between two of the windows to her right stood a TV, framed by two more shelves and above the TV hung an oil-painting which showed a beautiful landscape at sunset.

Only a moment later Mrs Stewart returned, carrying a small tray with a tea-pot, two cups, a small jug - probably filled with either milk or cream - and a sugar bowl. After she had put the tray down onto the coffee-table she looked at Angell and asked,

"How do you drink your tea? Sugar? Cream?"

Angell couldn't help but smile then she replied,

"A bit sugar, no cream."

Mrs Stewart nodded, filled a cup with tea and added some sugar to it before handing the cup to Angell and filling the second cup for herself. As she added sugar and cream to her own cup she inquired,

"So, apparently you doubt that Nancy killed herself?"

"Well, we wanna be absolutely sure about what happened, before drawing any conclusions." Angell stated and took a sip of tea, pulling out her memory-book and a pen she asked,

"According to her mother you still saw Nancy yesterday?"

"Yes, I'd baked a chocolate cake and brought her a few slices." Mrs Stewart paused for a moment then she said,

"You see, I've known Nancy since she was a baby. When she was a little older and her mother had started to work again I was keeping an eye on her while Sara was working. I was her Godmother, so I was always kinda watching out for her. And beside the fact that I know how much Nancy loved my chocolate cake Sara had also asked me to check on her while she and Frank were out of town."

"Did Nancy seem on edge when you talked with her?" Angell wanted to know.

"No. On the contrary - I haven't seen her this happy in quite a while. She was her old bubbly self again, like the Nancy she had been before she had gotten into all this trouble. She invited me in, we drank some tea and ate some cake together, we talked about our plans for the holidays. Discussed ideas for Christmas gifts. When I left she said she was going to watch Tiffany's and do her homework."

"Can you think of anyone who would have wanted to hurt Nancy - or even want her dead?" Angell asked after a moment of silence.

Mrs Stewart thought for a while then she said,

"Not really, I mean, Nancy was such a nice girl - she wasn't the type who makes themselves enemies. But if I had to guess I'd say that maybe someone from her old school could have something to do with her death."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, some of her old friends are doing drugs and all that stuff. Nancy avoided them ever since she had tried to kill herself. They might've not been happy about that... But that's just a hunch."

"Did Nancy ever mention that she felt threatened by someone?" Angell asked.

"No, but Sara told me that when Frank and Nancy had gone to her old school to empty her locker one of the guys she used to hang out with had yelled at her and insulted her."

Angell nodded and made another note into her memory-book, before she paused as her cell phone started ringing. Taking a glance at the display she smiled at Mrs Stewart and said,

"Excuse me, I gotta take this." With that she answered the call,

"What's up Flack?" She listened for a moment, then she stated,

"Yeah, I'll meet you there in about a half-hour, k?" After waiting for her colleague's reply she hung up the phone and told Mrs Stewart,

"Well, I've got to go. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me, if something else comes to your mind - no matter how insignificant it might seem - call me." She handed the woman her card as they got up and Mrs Stewart went with her to the front-door. As they had reached the door she added,

"Thanks for the tea."

Mrs Stewart smiled and replied,

"You're welcome."

_**~oOo~**_

After receiving a call from Flack regarding Nancy Andrews and telling Stella to get Hawkes and take a look at the Andrews' residence, Mac had decided that they should take a look at the crematory as soon as any way possible.

Once they had gotten a search warrant for the crematory he got Danny and left with him, while Lindsay kept working on evidence from the morgue.

When they stopped in front of the apparently abandoned building Mac pointed out, while heading to get the bulletproof-vests from the trunk of the car,

"Considering what happened earlier we should be careful."

Danny only nodded in agreement and took the second vest from Mac's hand.

A moment later they approached the entrance, kits in hands. Even though it seemed perfectly quiet they paid a lot of attention to their surroundings, not wanting to get any unpleasant surprises. After all, these guys didn't have any problem with injuring and even killing someone in order to steal that body from the morgue, so they probably won't like people taking a look inside the crematory in case that there was a link between this building and the men that were responsible for what had happened earlier at the morgue.

Once inside they were both relieved to find the building indeed abandoned, making it by far easier for them to search the crematory for some sort of lead.

It didn't take long before they came to the conclusion that nobody had worked in the crematory in quite a while. And only a short time later they also figured out the reason for that - the incinerator was apparently out of order.

"Take a sample of the ashes from the incinerator." Mac instructed while focusing his attention on the opposite side of the crematory.

_Back at the lab, about forty minutes later:_

When he and Danny returned from the crematory Mac chose to first head to the break-room to get some coffee before doing anything else. As he headed for his office he met Stella who had just come back to the lab about ten minutes prior.

"I heard you took a look at the crematory?" Stella spoke up when he had reached her.

"Yeah, and in fact I think we were able to figure out why someone's disposing chopped up bodies all over the city. How did it go at the Andrews' residence?" Mac said in response.

"Well, it seems likely that Peyton's right with her assumption that Nancy was murdered and didn't commit suicide. However, I'm still waiting for her autopsy report - I'll let you know when I got it." Seeing Mac nod she left and Mac continued on his way to his office.

Once there he took a seat at his desk, immediately getting lost in thought.

_Tbc_

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Well, I hope you liked it! I'm still working on the new chapter, not sure when it will be ready to be posted... In the meantime - please take the time to review! :)_


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